PLANS are being made for the provision of dozens of extra travellers’ pitches across the borough.

Hinckley and Bosworth borough council is looking to accommodate an extra 42 permanent pitches, plus three showman’s pitches and one temporary “transit” site - of up to 10 pitches.

The allocation was drawn up as part of a travellers’ needs assessment, carried out on behalf of all local authorities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland in 2006.

It called for the provision of a total of 203 permanent pitches, 100 temporary pitches and 65 showman’s pitches across the region, by authorities in Blaby, Charnwood, Harborough, Melton, North West Leicestershire, Oadby and Wigston, Leicester City, Rutland and Hinckley and Bosworth, by 2016.

Hinckley and Bosworth’s suggested allocation of 42 new permanent pitches is second only to that being considered by North West Leicestershire, which is to plan for an extra 43 permanent pitches, along with up to 20 temporary pitches and 10 showman’s pitches.

At the other end of the scale, it is suggested that the built-up district of Oadby and Wigston provides one extra permanent pitch.

Hinckley and Bosworth’s allocation is to be included in its planning core strategy, which will form part of a wider and longer-term development framework for the borough, until 2026.

A report on the allocations is due to be put to members for discussion later this month.

Potential locations for the pitches will be discussed separately as part of a site allocations document, which is due to be put to councillors in December.

A council spokesman said: “The locations are very much a moot point at the moment.

“There are various possibilities and we don’t want people to be alarmed into thinking that we have already decided and are just not telling anybody.”